“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”
Haile Selassie

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Mitch Roob: Why Is This Man Still Employed by the State?

Over at Advance Indiana, Gary Welsh has an excellent behind-the-scenes account of the privatization meltdown of the Mitch Roob-led FSSA. The perspective is through the eyes of tax activist Carl Moldthan who worked at FSSA during the privatization period.

It is a mystery to me how Roob continues to land high-level gigs in government although he screws up every task he touches. After running FSSA into the ground, Roob was appointed Indiana's Secretary of Commerce.

I've said it once if I've said it a thousand times, while there is a lot I like about Governor Daniels, he has a real weakness when it comes to administration. There is an extraordinary lack of oversight of many state agencies. While I was at the Department of Insurance, I personally gave the Governor's office evidence of legal violations, including the falsification of state vouchers to divert dedicated funds to non-dedicated purposes. The Governor's Office refused to even look at the information I provided.

While we can't expect our governor to have day-to-day oversight over the numerous administrative agencies, he needs to appoint people who will actually do their job supervising the activities of these agencies. After all, the buck stops at his desk.

7 comments:

Certain people have honed a specific skill set that utilizes an individual's posterior osculatory talents and ingratiating flattery proficiencies in a highly focused manner, most usually upon a single individual in a business or political environment.

This has a twofold result. One, the object of this person's attentions is almost always blinded to anything negative attributed to this person.

And two, since the skill set is so highly focused upon a single person, it isn't difficult for others to see right through whatever charade has been perpetrated by this individual.

Unfortunately, the first result cancels any possibility of the second result making a difference to the object of this person.

Any government official as smart as Mitch Daniels who allows such corrupt and ineffectual ministers to reign virtually unchecked below him usually indicates that person is corrupt and ineffectual as well. I voted for the Daniels feel-good show in '04, a vote I now regret (even if it wouldn't had made a difference). I would always highly applaud politicians who are fiscally-conservative, but there is no such thing any more, and Daniels is certainly no such politician -- even if he keeps styling himself as such.

As you have seen firsthand working during the Daniels administration, Paul, and as I have seen as well working at Workforce Development, the governor has no intention of doing anything to control his subordinates running his departments (in some cases into the ground like DWD has been). Mitch Roob is the poster child of this movement of cronyism and ignorance of really saving taxpayer dollars in the name of "privatization" to help-out ones' own personal profits and friends.

Daniels has filled DWD with positions for his friends and folks who have worked with him or at places he used to work. Under the guise of "experienced and successful businesspeople", these people came into DWD unwilling to learn anything about Indiana's workforce development or unemployment insurance programs. Neither program was "broken" (in fact, the UI system was one of the better ones in the country in 2004), but it was their way or the highway in making choices. Mitch Roob's kid brother, Ron Stiver (not actually brothers, but of the same cloth), started the train rolling downhill, and "Mitch's favorite" Teresa Voors and her inept multitude of deputy commissioners (greatly expanded the last five years) plowed the train into the earth.

Time will tell if Mitch's former OMB deputy/new DWD Commissioner Mark Everson will do the same or actually is willing to admit the mistakes of this administration so far -- to make real changes to fix these errors, to listen to people who have worked there with the system for years who know what they are talking about, and stop wasting hundreds of millions of business and taxpayer dollars. I will not be surprised if more of the same continues; Daniels knows what is going on at DWD (you better believe he does) and is doing very little to fix it. And that is the sign of bad leadership neither this state nor this country needs.

Yes, there is a state version of the False Claims Act. The problem is that even though you initiate a state qui tam action to recover the misspending from the dedicated fund, the AG's office can come in and take over the case. The AG's office already knows about the violation of the law and they don't care.

Bradley,You have no idea the length the AG's office will go to avoid the Qui Tam act and quite frankly help cover it up!

It is more than sad and it will be the demise of the AG at some point. With the atmosphere in Indiana at some point all of the mess will come back to roost.

My money is on the tumble when Daniel's makes his passionate run to save the country.....

Those he has betrayed, ignored and smashed will find some outlet and boy will it be a parade. The only question is are there enough swords for all the other State Officials to fall on and hope they get a plush federal job?

If they are smart they will save their butts now and get a life back. It must be hard sleeping at night knowing you are bought and paid for over just a few dollars for eight years of your life.

I guess everyone has a price. I wonder what the price is to get their lives back and save the years they have spent building their retirements to see it maybe all go away?

Kind of like going to French Lick and playing the craps table.... The boys and girls in the cover ups and the misdeeds must remember the HOUSE ALWAYS WINS!!!!!!!

About Me

I have been an attorney since the Fall of 1987. I have worked in every branch of government, including a stint as a Deputy Attorney General, a clerk for a judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals, and I have worked three sessions at the Indiana State Senate.
During my time as a lawyer, I have worked not only in various government positions, but also in private practice as a trial attorney handing an assortment of mostly civil cases.
I have also been politically active and run this blog in an effort to add my voice to those calling for reform.